Dr. Thurston´s laboratory has found associations between ambient air pollution and adverse human health effects. Analyses have considered individual subjects and their responses to ambient air pollution, as well as citywide and nationwide population health characteristics and their aggregate associations with air pollution. Our studies of individuals have included both healthy and asthmatic children at summer camps in the northeastern U.S., as these children are often outdoors and active during summertime air pollution episodes.
Our studies of aggregate populations have considered both human mortality (i.e., numbers of death per day, by-cause) and morbidity (e.g., numbers of hospital admissions per day for respiratory causes). We have found that air pollution has consistent adverse health consequences across the various populations and locations we have considered. In New York City, elevated air pollution concentrations are associated with increases in both daily respiratory hospital admissions and respiratory mortality. On a high ozone air pollution day, for example, our analyses indicate that New York City hospital admissions for respiratory causes rise approximately 20 percent above otherwise expected.

Thurston, G.D., Ito, K., Lippmann, M., and Bates, D.V. (1994) Respiratory hospital admissions and summertime haze air pollution in Toronto, Ontario: Consideration of the role of acid aerosols. Environ. Res. 65:271-290.

Thurston, G.D., Lippmann, M., Scott, M., and Fine, J. M. (1996) Summertime haze air pollution and children with asthma. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 155:654-660.

Cassino, C., Ito, K., Bader, I., Ciotoli, C., Thurston, G., and Reibman, J. (In press, 1999) Cigarette smoking and ozone-associated emergency department use for asthma by adults in New York City. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.

Thurston, G.D. and Leber, M. (1999) The relationship between asthma and air pollution. In: Emergency Asthma, Brenner, B. (ed.), Marcel-Dekker, New York, NY.